Dental Bridges vs. Dental Implants

If you have a missing tooth (or teeth) which you feel is unsightly, you have a couple of options available to you to fill the gap and restore your teeth to their former glory. Both implants and bridges are prosthetic devices that can be used to rejuvenate your smile. Each of these have their own plus and minus points. Here’s how they compare.

Dental Bridges

Bridges are so-called because they quite literally bridge the gap between a couple of teeth. They’re suitable if you are missing one or two teeth but may need an implant to support them if the bridge is spanning a large area. Dental bridges are available in a range of materials, from metal alloy to porcelain and ceramic. The latter are more natural, with metal versions bearing only a slight resemblance to real teeth.

Bridges come in three different types: front teeth bridges, bonded bridges and fixed bridges. The latter are the most common and consist of a hollow crown on either side of the prosthetic tooth (or teeth). These hollow crowns fit over healthy teeth and are designed to take the biting pressure from the prosthetic tooth. Bonded bridges preserve the healthy teeth as they adhere to the adjoining teeth. The result is less stable than that of fixed dental bridges.

Downsides of Dental Bridges

While bridges are a sturdy solution for replacing a lost tooth, you do need to ‘sacrifice’ two healthy teeth for the crowns to be fitted. The upheaval of this is minimal, but if you subsequently decide to replace the bridge with an implant, you’ll also require veneers for the two bridging teeth. Front teeth bridges may require up to two teeth on either side of the missing teeth to be sacrificed, so the cost of veneer fitting is higher in this case.

Implants

While crowns and bridges are worth considering, you may opt for a dental implant instead. These are screwed directly into your jawbone where your tooth would originally have been. They’re created using titanium, which poses no ill effects to the body, eliminating the possibility of an allergic reaction. These implants are also very strong and can last a lifetime if looked after properly. As they are connected directly to the jaw, they don’t affect the nearby teeth at all. While the overall use of implants is a positive experience, there are some downsides to using them.

Downsides of Implants

Implants are rather more costly than a dental bridge, with the average implant costing up to five times as much as a bridge. The consideration here should be longevity. An implant is likely to last a lifetime, whereas a bridge lasts for up to 15 years.

The other factor is the time involved in placing an implant. While a dental bridge fitting takes a couple of visits, implants will take several months to fit and involve minor surgery. Patients need to wait after the initial fitting for the abutment (the part that holds the false tooth in place) to fuse with the jaw bone. After this, fitting is swift.